"So, what do we do now?" Selene Tanis asked, wiping wolf blood off her longsword as if what the group just experienced was a normal daily activity. Her wounded leg was already feeling better after Alexandra administered to it and she rested for about 20 minutes.

"I suppose we go in," Derby Sway said matter-of-factly as she took out her knife and began cutting off pieces of fur from the giant wolf Kaar had split open with the blade of his axe. The group had learned not to bother questioning Derby's weird habit of collecting objects, regardless of how odd those objects sometimes tended to be. Her illness, as some in the Kingdoms defined her habits, was that of hoarding. Ever since she was very young, Derby collected things. All kinds of things. A medical expert in the field of human behavior might say it had to do with her upbringing. Born and raised on the islands known as Five Fingers, the young girl was forced to work for everything she had. And more often than not, 'everything' amounted to little more than her next meal. One might even say that although her status has improved immeasurably since that near-destitute childhood; it had an affect on the young woman that elicits her abnormal behaviors even today.

"Aye lass!" the dwarf, Kaar Ironfist quickly chimed in. "No time fer wastin'!" As he was picking himself up off the ground, grabbing the last of the bugs and leaves out of his tangled beard, he looked over to Magnus, who was searching the area around the pool structure for clues as to what type of battle had previously occurred here.

Tuning the others out, an ability the Investigator had mastered years ago, Magnus was kneeling, closely studying something on the ground with his magnifying glass. After a few minutes, he got to his feet and carefully placed the small tool back into his backpack. "Scales," he said to his team. "There are numerous fish-looking scales on the ground near the pool. Curious then that the water shows no signs of now having, nor ever having, fish of any kind." As he did so often, Magnus simply filed that riddle in his mind for later.

His momentary conundrum was quickly interrupted by Kaar's booming voice. "Lead the way, Lass! Take us inside," he motioned to Selene as she nodded and strode as quietly as she could to what appeared to be the remnants of a cave dead ahead.

Selene Tanis moved up onto the landing after working her way past the rubble that had once obviously been grand steps. She stopped when she got to more pillars, similar to those guarding the inner courtyard. The same glyphs circled these grey structures, and she waved Derby and Alexandra up to take a look. Derby determined the markings to be the same as before, and Raines moved confidently past them and down the steps on the other side of the landing without so much as an inspection. "Well come on then," she said with a smile as she turned to look at her friends.

The area itself was less weather-beaten than the marble tiles in the courtyard. Kaar guessed it had something to do with the fact that this area was once covered by rock. That much was obvious to anyone looking up and seeing the jagged stone wall above them jutting out in spike-like formations. It looked to Kaar as if this room was once situated entirely inside the cave itself; probably exposed to the elements now that the natural ceiling was most likely blasted away in some ancient battle. The condition of this lowered floor space, while in better shape than the steps, had issues of its own. These tiles were riddled with pock-marks from what clearly appeared to be gunfire. Searching the area for signs of this theory eventually produced old shell casings that Selene was able to positively identify as Iosan in craftsmanship. Being a somewhat accomplished gunsmith, the Dwarf was eager to take a look as well. He could confirm they were Iosan, but had no idea what type of gun used that kind of ammo. 'Just how old is this casing?' he wondered to himself. What elves would be doing this far south of Ios, and for what purpose, was certainly a mystery to the Dwarf. Selene had her suspicions, but there was far too little evidence to make any reliable conclusions. Perhaps the puzzle would come together as they explored further. As he was about to throw the casing back on the ground, Derby walked up and stuck out her hand, palm up. Kaar shook his head and placed the remnant carefully into her hand. The curious young woman quickly stuffed it into one of her pouches to examine later.

As they moved deeper into the area, the west wall was certainly where they were headed next. Double doors made of brass were worked into the stone of the cave wall. They looked sorely out of place. "Who in their right mind makes doors out of brass?" Kaar bellowed, his voice echoing slightly in the somewhat enclosed entryway. Magnus meanwhile was studying the carvings inlaid into the doors in a decorative design and pointed them out to the Dwarf. Walking over to take a look, Kaar squinted his eyes, "Clearly Iosan," he muttered. "That answers that question," the arcane mechanik remarked sarcastically. "And look! No handle and no keyhole. Do they expect people ta' open the blasted thing with their minds? It's a god's honest wonder yer' race made it this far in the world, Selene. Is there some secret Elven code word ye know ta' open the thing?" Kaar was being atypically sarcastic because he was getting frustrated. To travel this far to find something as ancient and potentially wondrous as this temple only to be turned away by doors made of brass with no handle! It was almost too much for the dwarf to bear, and he was not doing a good job of hiding it. Selene just shrugged, seeming as perplexed as the rest of them.

"Relax, sir Dwarf," the ever soothing voice of Alexandra whispered as she walked up after concluding a private conversation with Derby. "Surely there is something we are missing. Perhaps we let Derby's keen eyes for such things have a look." Alex put a gentle hand on Kaar's shoulder, and it seemed to relax him almost immediately. Since the Strangelight Investigators formed over a year ago, the Priestess of Morrow had been the calming voice of reason more times than anyone could count. Kaar estimated it was this subtle skill that made her more valuable to the group than her ability to fight and administer healing combined. Everything the human woman did was with a placid and graceful air; be it her peaceful voice or her rhythmic, fluent fighting style. In so many ways she was the polar opposite of Magnus. Alexandra was controlled, objective, and thoughtful at all times. Kaar spent many a night's watch looking at the two as they slept mere inches apart, wondering if that is why they meshed so well. Two people so inherently different complimenting the other in ways that somehow bound them as tight as any Dwarven Clan. His mind continued to wander when Derby's voice snapped him out of his daydreaming.

"It's done," she said. "That was one well-hidden false cover, but I managed to find it and slide it open. But now we have another problem. Looks like it needs some type of 'key' - and I'll be damned if I've ever seen one shaped like that." Derby pointed to a circular indentation within the small alcove, with an even further depression made in the shape of a half-moon. It looked like it needed a very particular designed object to fit inside and complete the circuit, and they seemed to be completely out of luck this time. Thankfully, the Iosan mage hunter had the answer to this puzzle.

"To fully understand the group known as the Retribution of Scryah would take a considerable amount of time, not to mention a history lesson of significant merit. As this in neither the time nor the place to delve into such matters, and I am in no mood to discuss my past associations with the group. I trust you will accept my word that this pendant will open the temple doors." The Elven woman never looked up as she spoke the words, simply taking her rather plain-looking necklace and handing it to Derby. "You should find the ivory symbol fits perfectly into the depression," Selene continued. "Simply insert it and turn the pendant to the right."

"There will come a day when you should tell us more about this group and your involvement," Kaar said with a smile.

"No there won't," Selene answered matter-of-factly, with no animosity in her tone."Some secrets are meant to stay that way." the chorus of voices that were Selene, Alexandra, and Magnus said in unison as they shared a respectful and knowing look with one another.It became immediately evident to the dwarf that this conversation was finished, and he wanted nothing less right now than to cause a potential rift within the party; so he dropped it. Suddenly Derby, much more perceptive than she often let on, conveniently interrupted what was an awkward moment. "I heard it click," she said triumphantly. "Doesn't get a whole lot easier than that. Who wants to do the honors?" she said with a broad smile as she handed the necklace back to Selene.

After a quick scan for traps, Kaar wasted no time opening the doors and asking Derby to descend the steps the group found inside leading underground into the temple. It was dark, and Sway used the wall as a guide, the light from Magnus's lantern only extending so far. Selene, recognizing the unusually wide steps, pulled out the old map and unwrapped it to its full length. At the bottom of the scroll was an architectural schematic of the temple's layout, and she nodded to herself. "Finally, this thing may actually be of some real use," she mused sarcastically.

While they waited for Derby, the dwarf turned to Selene casually and asked a question. "Uh lass... I've worked out that the map is written in yer language, seeing as yer the only one that can read it. I've been meanin' ta' ask ya' - does the name 'Furiax' actually have a Cygnaran translation?"

"It does indeed," she answered, committing the map to memory just in case. "The literal translation is 'ancient'. But the practical meaning is 'forgotten'. It's not a term that is used often."

"Forgotten as in, 'you should forget this place because it's filled with evil things that will kill you?' Alex asked, only half joking.

Selene just shrugged. "Only one way to find out."

A few minutes later, Derby reappeared out of the darkness, taking the team by surprise. She was amazingly skilled at moving silently when she desired. "Stairs end about 15 to 20 feet down and will drop us into a room. Couldn't make out anything past that. Seems safe enough. Let's go."

The Investigators moved in their typical exploration order as they descended the steps. Selene and Derby were in the front, Magnus and Kaar in the rear where they could bring their ranged weapons to bear if needed, with Alexandra sandwiched in between the four of them like the central pip on a die showing its '5' face. Although Mags was the one with the keenest sense of observation on the whole, Selene and Derby were no slouches in that regard, and would call the gun mage up if needed. Holding his magelock in one hand and the lantern in the other, the gaslight managed to illuminate the room nicely. Four support pillars stood near the corners of the spacious room, benches lining the north wall. Two more doors were located on the room's east side and two old bookshelves were nestled against the wall to the south. The map Selene held was remarkably accurate, the only difference being that the doors leading to the next area were open on the map while seeming to be quite securely closed now. When Selene and Derby gave the nod that the space looked secure, the team fanned out to inspect the room.

Firmly in their element now, this is what Kaar envisioned when he assembled the group. The Dwarf immediately set out to inspect the integrity of the physical structure of the temple itself, learning everything he could as he examined the stone walls and floor. Moving around the room, putting his hands on the stone and smelling the rock, Ironfist was gleaning every bit of architectural information he could. Derby and Selene moved to the bookcases, each of them taking a side and examining the spines for anything they could read. Magnus went from pillar to pillar to see if they provided any clues as to the nature of the building while simultaneously searching them for writings of any kind. Alexandra stood in the middle of the room holding the lantern up as high as she could, providing light for the team. About 15 minutes of inspection went by and the investigators had discovered very little. The walls were old, but it was impossible for Kaar to determine just how so. The construction was certainly human in origin, not Iosan; and it confirmed Mags' suspicions that the temple was originally built by the Menites, as the investigators originally surmised. The pillars held no writings of any kind, and appeared to be load bearing in nature only. The books proved to be another dead end, as they were written in ancient Menite, a language Derby was so weak in translating, she took one look and just shook her head. This left the doors to the east, which according to the map would lead further down into the temple and into a fountain room. These doors were made of heavy wood, perhaps oak, and had significant metal reinforcements. There was a single, locked, keyhole but no handle on the right door itself. Checking it for traps, none were found, and Derby pulled out a bag of strange lock-picking tools and set to work on the door's ancient lock. About three minutes later, the thief stood up and put her tools away nonchalantly. "Well... it's unlocked, for whatever that's worth. Not sure what we do to actually get in," she said as she backed up into the center of the room and made a grandiose waving gesture to Selene to take it from here. After a bit or trial and error the Iosan figured out the doors needed to be pushed on to unhinge whatever mechanism was keeping them shut, and they slowly slid outwards toward the party.

Moving down the steps carefully, they made their way into the room and were perplexed by what they saw. The fountain that sat dead center in the middle of the room was similar to the map, the glowing runes on three sides of the water were exactly as depicted as well. What the two dimensional map could not express was the very strange diamond-shaped artifact above a small dais in the center of the fountain. It was floating. In the air. Unsupported. Magnus instinctively moved toward it to examine the oddity only to be held back by his sister. "Don't touch it," she said.

"Well of course I'm not going to touch it," he barked in response, looking back at her, his eyes blinking quickly.

"Really?" she queried. "You were not about to walk directly into the pool of water and put your hands all over that thing? Really?"

"Fine!" Magnus answered sharply. "Maybe I was," he admitted as he tried to free himself from her grip on his armored greatcoat.

"Well, here's a brilliant idea for you brother.... Don't."

After a brief moment he surrendered once again to Alexandra's caution, as he so often did. "Alright. I promise. I'll just look at it."

She let go of his trench and he moved out of the pool to inspect one of the runes carved into the stone floor instead. In fact, all the companions began to check the runes, and after a few minutes they discovered that they were unique in a few ways. First, all three were the symbol representing a different season of the yearly cycle. They were Summer, Spring, and Winter to be exact. Secondly, each rune was glowing not due to some magical property, but because their indentations were filled with an algae that gave off a low level light source. And third, because the runes were symbols unique to different races on Caen. One was Human, one Dwarven, and one Elven. Magnus then moved to the floating object again, careful not to touch it. Magnifying glass in hand, he found nothing extraordinary about it, other than it floated in mid-air of course. It was however covered in symbols, the rest of which the group did not recognize. Coincidentally, three of the symbols on the side of the floating diamond were missing their feint glow, and they appeared to match those being lit up at their feet. Magnus had no idea what this meant; and short of the link between the dull runes and their exact match on the floor, he was at a loss. "We're missing something," he said finally. "Let's look around."

Both the northeast and southeast walls had levers worked into the stone, adjacent to two hallways that led in either direction. The passages were dark and went further than the lantern light could clearly show. The southeast passage and its corresponding lever looked like it had been untouched in a very long time. The northeast lever however showed signs of recent use, and this sent a shiver down the Investigator's spine. He quietly informed his team of such and immediately set to checking the area for signs of recent passage. He found some in the form of tracks leading from the water in the pool to the hallway itself. Even more curious, he also found scales. They looked remarkably similar to those he had found outside in the courtyard. Selene inspected the tracks and scales as well, discerning they were made by an amphibious creature that clearly walked upright. "Well, I suppose it is safe to say we may not be alone down here," she said ominously. "I suggest staying alert."

Over the course of the past year, the team of investigators had learned that when the Iosan was cautioning to stay alert, it meant "Stay Bloody Alert!" No time was wasted drawing weapons, and the team moved to different positions around the room. After waiting for about five minutes, absolutely nothing happened. There were no sounds coming from anywhere in the temple, and there were no signs of movement from any direction.

"Do ye think this pool is somehow connected to the one outside, lass? Kaar suggested, his mind beginning to run through different scenarios. "If so, couldn't we be in the middle of some sort of ambush just waitin' ta' happen?"

"That's a thought," Mags agreed. "Being trapped in a room like this with crazy amphibious creatures coming at us from all sides does not sound good. Not good for anybody!"

Selene could see her group was falling into a trap. Not a literal, physical trap; but a trap of the mind that is waiting around for something to go wrong. It was a phenomenon she had seen too many times as a squad leader among her less experienced recruits when leading teams of Elves on their training missions in Ios; and she recognized it immediately.

"Enough of that." she said in a calm but firm voice. "I will check out the pool and see if anything stirs. Remember, we have no indication that whatever may be in here is out to cause us harm. Do not let your minds wander." As Tanis approached the pool, she gave the floating diamond one of her patented scowls. Alexandra in particular loved when she did that. The priest was convinced that Selene believed that scowling at things, alive or inanimate, would scare them into not behaving out of turn. It made her laugh inside, and she treasured that about the Elven huntress. It didn't hurt that it also relieved the stress she was feeling. Alex wasn't scared per se, but she was a bit more on edge than normal. Curiously, Derby shared that same feeling. Being a thief and a spy, Sway functioned at her best when she had a clear understanding of her surroundings. She was a tactician in more ways than one, and tactical thinkers do not like the unknown. And this room was full of them.

Tanis plunged her longsword into the fountain-like pool and swirled the water around. She could feel the water "pulling" against her arm in a way that made very little sense. She saw nothing down there, and nothing appeared to be grasping her sword from the other end. It was... weird. She quickly tugged the sword out of the water and could see it was covered with some type of algae or colored substance. Magnus quickly moved over to inspect it when he heard what sounded like a hissing sound coming from the metal. His mind was racing, and after only a few seconds grabbed the weapon from Selene and used his great coat to wipe the algae off, followed by dowsing the blade with some of his drinking water. Handing the sword back to the Elf, he explained he recalled hearing of a plant-like material in the Thornwood Forest known as Oxino Algae. It's characteristics were that it was colorful to the point of giving off light; and that it was highly acidic toward certain metals. On the outside chance this was Oxino Algae, especially after hearing the sword begin to hiss as if it was beginning to suffer from a corrosion effect, he acted instinctively. Selene was grateful and thanked the gun mage for his quick thinking.

Meanwhile, Derby had begun heading down the northeast corridor and found that the door at the end of the hallway was closed and held no keyhole or handle. Searching, she found no signs of any way to open it. Upon relaying this to the group, everyone almost instinctively looked at the lever next to the hallway's opening. "We should pull it," Magnus said as if it wasn't even a question. Before anyone could say anything to the contrary, he looked to Kaar for support. In the past, the dwarf's extraordinary overconfidence had proved to be Magnus' greatest ally in times of debate. When it came to exercising caution vs. being adventurous, in nearly every circumstance the arcane mechanik and the gun mage were in agreement. "Ye can't know how strong the metal is if ye ain't willin' ta' forge it into a weapon and fight with it!" was a saying Kaar had quoted so many times the group lost count. It meant of course that if you don't explore the unknown and try things that you aren't sure of, you'll never discover anything. It was usually about that time that Derby and Alexandra, both of a slightly different mindset, backed away and found cover, regardless of the situation. Selene, who had an amazing lack of fear of just about everything, usually weighed in on the side of Kaar and Magnus. And so, pulling the lever without having a definitive plan it was.

"The doors are closing!" Derby yelled from the top of the steps leading out of the fountain room where she and Alex had retreated to. For the briefest of moments it appeared as if the world was moving in slow motion. No sooner had Magnus pulled the lever down when the lantern inexplicably went out. The only light remaining in the room was that of the algae-encrusted symbols in the floor, and they weren't nearly bright enough to see anything with any kind of clarity. It looked like Magnus, Kaar, and Selene, all standing next to the lever, had been knocked down as if unconscious or something; and she certainly couldn't see Alexandra from her position in the darkness. The young thief had to make a decision, and quickly. Using her uncanny reflexes, she dove through the doors a split second before they shut, with the last thing she heard being Alexandra yelling, "No, don't separate the..."

And then silence.

Derby Sway got to her feet gingerly and stood alone in the dark. Attempting to calm herself, she slowed her breathing and tried to relax. There was no sound coming from anywhere, making her heartbeat seem much louder than normal. Being a thief by trade, the darkness did not bother her. Being completely separated from her friends on the other hand was causing her anxiety level to rise again, and she concentrated to get herself under control. She had to focus. The doors needed to be checked, unlocked again if necessary, and opened as quickly as possible. Derby took a moment and then sprang into action. She searched her body for the clip that attached her thief toolkit to her belt. She placed it on the ground at her feet when she located the doors and realized instantly that they had re-locked. "No problem," she said out loud to herself. "I've got this." Locating the tools she needed by feel, the young human set to work on the lock. It took nearly ten minutes this time, but she worked the tumblers into position and she heard the familiar 'click' sound she was waiting for. Wrapping up her tools quickly, she pushed on the doors and they slowly swung open, just like they had before. The moment the doors began to swing, the light of the gunmage's lantern seemed to activate again from below. From her position she quickly inspected the room, and immediately noticed the stairs were gone. She inspected as closely as she could in the compromised light, and surmised they weren't so much 'gone' as receded into the floor itself, forming a flat ramp down to the lower room. "Is everyone alright?" she asked without hesitation. There was no answer. Moving back into the library-like room, Derby manipulated a bench and moved it into the doorway itself, thinking that if the doors closed again, the bench would keep them from shutting all the way. She also went into her pack and pulled out her grappling rope and hook. Derby set the hook around the pillar closest to the door and used the rope to walk down the incline. About halfway down and without any warning, the middle of the steps gave way to a large trapdoor and Derby went flying downward. Holding onto the rope, she was able to save herself from gods know what, as she let out a grunt and dangled freely in open air. It took her almost no time to lift herself out of the trap and onto solid ground again. She was careful to sidestep the hole in the stair floor and make her way into the fountain room where she saw Kaar, Selene, and Magnus out cold near the lever. Looking around, she saw no signs of Alexandra, and moved to her other friends who were unconscious but breathing normally.

All signs pointed to Alexandra falling prey to the same pit trap that almost sent Derby swimming. After the thief woke her remaining friends from their unexplained sleep, the team immediately set their minds to the recessed stairway and the trapdoor. Derby's rope was not long enough to get the climbers to the bottom, but Magnus did see what he thought was an underground river or lake that the pit most likely dropped its victims to. Not completely surprising considering water seemed to be a recurring theme associated with the temple. Magnus was emerging from the pit trap, clearly upset but remaining remarkably composed when the creature appeared from the hallway. Standing every bit of 9 feet tall, a scale-covered green hide and an enormous orange colored fin cresting its head, the amphibian held a large spear in front of its body as it calmly moved to the edge of the pool and spoke in a broken but understandable form of the Cygnaran tongue. It tilted it's head as if examining or measuring the group of trespassers standing bewildered in front of it as it hissed out, "You can stop your search, ground-walkers. We have her now. If you want to see your companion alive, you will not attempt to harm me. Instructions will come; but know that if you do not follow them, and the master deems her worthy, your friend may serve a greater purpose, up to and including the sacrifice of her own life." Diving into the pool, the lizard-fish creature disappeared into the water as abruptly as it appeared just moments before, leaving barely a trace it had even been there.

The room immediately erupted into debate among the four companions. Things were happening too fast and made absolutely no sense. What was that creature? How did it get into the temple? How long had it been waiting for them? Who was it working with? Could it be trusted? Who was the master? How long had Alex actually been gone? The questions came at an alarming rate; and without the normal voice of reason in the room, things were boiling into chaos. It was Kaar who eventually stepped forward and calmed everyone down. He was somehow able to get through to Magnus and Selene that diving in after Alexandra or the creature would make a bad situation ten times worse. At least the four of them were together and safe. They had absolutely no idea where Alex was or who had taken her. They had to assume she was alive, or the 'ransom' threat would carry no meaning. They needed to wait for instructions anyway, so chasing after that thing was beyond foolish. No; they would complete their mission, find what they came for, loot anything else that could possibly be used to bargain for their friend's life, and fix this. That had to be their focus right now and nothing else. Worrying and negative thoughts served no purpose and would not help them in the slightest. It was the pragmatic and correct decision, and everyone knew it; but to a person it was obvious no one was completely comfortable with their limited options at this point.

"So let's get this temple explored and move out as quickly as possible," the Dwarf said as he finished his instructions. "We will find her. We must stay positive and an opportunity will present itself that we can use to our advantage. It simply has to."